Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives ( specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Records of the Office of the President, John Redd Hutcheson, RG 2/9, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Records of the Office of the President, John Redd Hutcheson: Series I. Presidential Papers were transferred to Special Collections and University Archives prior to 2001. Series II. Personal Papers were donated in 1994.

Processing Information

The processing, arrangement, and description of the Records of the Office of the President, John Redd Hutcheson began in November 2005 and was completed in July 2006. Series II. Personal Papers were processed in 1994.

Biographical Note

One of seven children, John Redd Hutcheson (1886-1962) was born to Robert Francis and Mary Claiborne (née Barksdale) Hutcheson near Charlotte Courthouse, Virginia, on January 13, 1886. Dr. Jack, as he was affectionately known, married Eleanor Parrott in 1917, and the couple had three children. Hutcheson served briefly during World War I, and he operated Edgemont Farm with his brother T.B. Hutcheson.

John Hutcheson earned a B.S. degree in 1907 and M.S. in 1909 from Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute (VPI) as well as honorary doctorates from Clemson College in 1937 and North Carolina State College in 1947. Following graduation from VPI, he taught and served as principal for schools in Virginia and Mississippi as well as lectured at the University of Virginia. In 1914, Hutcheson joined the Virginia Agricultural Extension Service (now the Virginia Cooperative Extension), becoming its director in 1919.

In January 1945, Hutcheson was appointed executive assistant to President Julian Burruss, but soon took on many of the president's duties when Burruss became ill.

Hutcheson was elected Virginia Tech's ninth president in August 1945. In December 1946, he became ill and was granted sick leave, at which time Walter Newman took over the duties of president. Although Hutcheson recovered from his illness, he did not return to his position as president. Instead, the Board of Visitors appointed Hutcheson as VPI's first chancellor in August 1947 and Newman became VPI's tenth president.

The following year, the Board established the VPI Educational Foundation, Inc. (known today as the Virginia Tech Foundation, Inc.) and named Dr. Jack its first president. He left the chancellorship in 1956, while remaining the foundation's president until his death on January 23, 1962.

Scope and Content

The Records of the Office of the President, John Redd Hutcheson consist of correspondence and records, from 1917 to 1962. This collection contains official records from Hutcheson's tenure as president of VPI and includes correspondence and reports from groups such as the State Board of Agriculture and Immigration, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Association of Governing Boards, the Association of Land-Grant Colleges, the Association of South Agricultural Workers, the Association of Virginia Colleges, the State Board of Education, the Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the American Veteran's Committee, the Farm Bureau Federation, the State Agricultural Commission, and VPI's Committee on Post-World War II Agricultural Policy. Additional correspondence, telegrams, course outlines, and budgetary materials pertain to the American Council on Education.

This collection also comprises personal records on topics such as the management of Hutcheson's dairy farm, Edgemont; health, life, auto, and fire insurance; the deaths of Hutcheson's son and two brothers; various family members; desegregation of public schools in Virginia; Hutcheson's involvement with the Presbyterian church; and his illnesses. Also included is a bound volume of The Breeder's Gazette, containing handwritten notes on the front endpaper and on an inserted sheet.

Arrangement

The Records of the Office of the President, John Redd Hutcheson are arranged alphabetically by subject matter in the following series:

Related Material

The following archival collections at Special Collections and University Archives also pertain to John R. Hutcheson:

Index Terms

Subjects:

• Faculty
• University Archives
• University History

Organizations:

• Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College and Polytechnic Institute
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute

People:

• Hutcheson, John Redd, 1886-1962

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Records of the Office of the President, John Redd Hutcheson by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your- work/public-domain/cc0/ ).

Adjunct Descriptive Data